Epic Games just scored another major legal victory over Google, and it’s sparking fresh talk about whether Fortnite could finally appear on Steam. On September 12, 2025, the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit shot down Google’s request for a do-over of its antitrust loss to Epic. None of the judges wanted to revisit the case, leaving Google with one last shot — an appeal to the Supreme Court.
According to the US Court document, the original October 2024 injunction to open the Android Play Store to competing payment systems must be carried out. Google now has 30 days after the court’s mandate to allow all developers to offer alternate payment systems inside Android apps. And although the Ninth Circuit granted a short extension on some technical deadlines, the judges made it clear that it must be fully implemented within ten months.
Epic CEO Tim Sweeney hailed the Ninth Circuit’s decision on X. He declared that Google must ‘free all developers,’ and a precedent from the Epic vs Apple settlement in May leaves no room for ‘malicious compliance.’ His post focused on Android, but the victory reinforces Epic’s broader campaign against the 30% platform fee that dominates both mobile and PC storefronts.
Then, when asked directly about Steam by Puppygames developer @cas_prince, Sweeney answered directly. “Sure, if Steam adopts the same steering rules worldwide as Apple currently has in the USA, we’ll bring everything to Steam.”
That statement might just frame Steam’s 30% developer cut as the likely next battleground. This win could give Epic the much-needed pressure on Valve to reconsider its cut and rules, potentially clearing a path for Fortnite to appear on Steam.
On the other side of the pond, Fortnite is clearly losing momentum. Stats from Fortnite.gg show that the game’s monthly peak player count has been declining since June, when it reached 5.9 million. The Remix: The Finale event briefly spiked activity to an all-time high of 14.3 million in late November last year, but engagement quickly fell.
It’s not a surprise that Fortnite‘s revenue is drying up with its numbers slipping. After all, the game has been running for almost a decade now. Still, dropping it on the one store that doesn’t have it — aka Steam — looks like the obvious step to stop the bleeding.
Google is likely to appeal to the Supreme Court, but the clock is still ticking toward a more open Android market. Valve’s digital store is safe from the ruling, for now, but Epic’s win hands Tim Sweeney fresh leverage. Perhaps the push is needed to finally bring Fortnite to Steam before its next major season.
